Deakin University has joined a major collaborative project to deliver high-quality modular homes to help ease housing challenges across Colac and Apollo Bay.
In Colac, workers in manufacturing, health, retail and construction face housing affordability pressures, while short-stay accommodation and holiday homes have led to a severe shortage of available long-term housing in Apollo Bay.
As part of the Colac Otway Shire Council project, Deakin researchers, FormFlow, Modularity, the University of Wollongong and Urbis will work together to deliver a new model for affordable housing for key workers.
With funding from the Australian Government’s regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, this multiparty project will design two new precincts providing between 50-100 high-quality modular homes. The approach aims to be flexible to meet changing community needs through rapid deployment while still prioritising sustainability
This project stems from a longstanding collaboration between the Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials and FormFlow, a foundation tenant of Deakin ManuFutures, who will develop a modular housing system to enable rapid delivery of high-quality housing in regional Australia.
A step in the right direction
Professor Matthias Weiss leads the Institute for Frontier Materials’ sheet metal forming research group and will work closely with FormFlow to develop new and advanced manufacturing technologies to facilitate low-cost production of FormFlow’s new modular housing system while reducing waste.
Our research will ensure these precincts are not only well-designed but also deliver long-term social, health and economic benefits for the community.
Professor Matthias Weiss
Through the Deakin Home Research Centre, Professor Richard Tucker and his colleagues will lead social research, analyse housing needs and build an evaluation framework. This work will ensure the precincts are inclusive, flexible, health-focused and aligned with the needs of key workers.
Access to affordable, well-designed housing is fundamental to the long-term health of growing regional communities.
Professor Richard Tucker
Sustainable housing
Professor Bernard Rolfe, Deakin School of Engineering, will work with a postdoctoral research engineer to optimise the housing structure and material usage, bringing learnings and innovative structural approaches from the automotive sector.
Dr Olubukola Tokede from the Deakin School of Architecture and Built Environment will evaluate and analyse the housing structures to minimise environmental impact.
Researchers will also embed a ‘living laboratory’ approach to test and refine innovative housing and community design in real-world conditions.
Real-world collaboration
As part of this large-scale project FormFlow will develop a new modular housing design combined with a production system to enable rapid delivery of high-quality housing in regional Australia.
Modularity will build a proof-of-concept prototype to evaluate and refine the housing designs and production system.
Urban consultancy Urbis will lead and manage the delivery of the project, drawing on its multidisciplinary expertise to support the planning approval process and ensure the precincts are ready for construction by late 2026.
Performance evaluations and testing of the building designs will be undertaken by Dr Alan Green of the University of Wollongong with the goal of enhancing occupant comfort and health outcomes alongside environmental sustainability and climate resilience in an affordable housing solution.
This exciting project is about ensuring that we can support a local workforce to service our communities, as well as the significant number of visitors to the region. Affordable, adaptable housing is essential for the strength of our local economy and the sustainability of our communities.
Ian Sueren
General Manager Community and Economy at the Colac Otway Shire Council
This article was first published on Deakin Research News.
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